Saturday, August 9, 2014

After completing the 9th inning to preserve a tie in Saturday's Detroit Tigers game against the Toronto Blue Jays, reliever Joakim Soria was forced to leave before throwing a pitch in the 10th, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com. Soria felt something strain in his left side as he tried to deliver his first warmup pitch. Joba Chamberlain came in on short notice and gave up the winning run. The loss leaves the Tigers with a two game lead in the AL Central.
Soria, who was acquired from the Texas Rangers on July 23, had previously appeared in five games for the Tigers, allowing six runs (five earned), 10 hits, and two homers in 3.2 innings. In Texas, the righty went 1-3 with a 2.70 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 33.1 innings.

A veteran of seven seasons, twice an All-Star (2008, 2010 with the Kansas City Royals), Soria has 177 saves for the Royals and Rangers, along with a career 2.61 ERA and 9.9 per 9 strikeout rate. He was originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001 as a free agent out of Mexico, was released by the Dodgers in 2004, then signed with the Padres and was taken by the Royals from the Padres as a Rule 5 pick in December 2006. He made his debut April 4, 2007 and appeared in 62 games in his rookies season with 17 saves and a 2.48 ERA, garnering Rookie of the Year votes.

Soria was the Royals closer for the next five seasons until his 2012 season was lost due to Tommy John surgery in April of that year. In December 2012, as a free agent, he signed a two-year $8 million contract with the Texas Rangers through 2014 (2015 team option). He was traded to the Tigers in exchange for Jake Thompson (minors) and Corey Knebel.